‘Flash’ and ‘Supergirl’ Showrunner Suspended Over Sexual Harassment

The tidal wave of Hollywood sexual harassment has reached The CW. At least nineteen employees have come forth against Flash and Supergirl executive producer Andrew Kreisberg with multiple allegations, for which Warner Bros. TV has officially suspended him.

Variety broke the extensive story on Kreisberg’s pattern of behavior, which over several years included inappropriate touching, sexual comments about women’s appearances, requesting massages, lewd workplace behavior and unwanted advances. Fifteen women and four men came forward with different stories – all of whom chose to remain anonymous to protect their careers – though Kreisberg himself categorically denied most of the instances:

I have made comments on women’s appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized. Like many people, I have given someone a non-sexual hug or kiss on the cheek … I have proudly mentored both male and female colleagues for many years. But never in what I believe to be an unwanted way and certainly never in a sexual way.

Other accounts allege that overall executive producer Greg Berlanti was unaware of complaints against Kreisberg, though an anonymous male colleague reportedly warned Kreisberg multiple times about his behavior. Another instance had Kreisberg showing a male writer topless footage of an actress coming in to audition, something the showrunner claims was happenstance in researching her prior work. Kreisberg similarly dismissed a story about asking an employee to lie beneath him in a pushup stance, stating “It is not uncommon in writer’s rooms that we act out what we want production to film. There was never any sexual intent or overtones.”

Here’s what Warner Bros. TV said of the suspension:

We have recently been made aware of allegations of misconduct against Andrew Kreisberg. We have suspended Mr. Kreisberg and are conducting an internal investigation. We take all allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and are committed to creating a safe working environment for our employees and everyone involved in our productions.

Kreisberg only serves as part-time showrunner to Flash and Supergirl, atop more distant producing credits on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow. It is unclear what effect his suspension will have on any series, so stay tuned for the latest.